It looks like Hollywood won’t be happy until Noomi Rapace becomes the next big thing.  The Swedish actress, best known for her portrayal as Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo , will make her Hollywood debut next year after landing the lead female role in Sherlock Holmes 2.  Now, director Ridley Scott hopes to make the upcoming Alien prequel her follow-up film.  According to Deadline, Scott has picked Rapace as his favorite choice after meetings with such actresses as Carey Mulligan (An Education), Abbie Cornish (Bright Star), Natalie Portman (V for Vendetta), and Olivia Wilde (Tron: Legacy).  Hit the jump to find out why this is a bit of a surprise along with a recap of everything that we know about the Alien prequel so far.

This bit of news comes as a bit of surprise since we just reported that Fox wanted Natalie Portman for the lead role after digging Damon Lindelof’s (Lost) recent screenplay draft.  However, in that same report, Rapace was noted as the second choice for the role.  Now, I can’t help but wonder if Portman is the studio’s choice while Rapace is Scott’s choice.  Either way, I’m sure we will find out who gets the role soon.

As we have previously reported,   Lindelof’s screenplay places the project at a PG-13 rating, doesn’t add expensive set pieces, but remains “creatively engaging."

For everything else we know about the project so far, here is a brief rundown:

  • The prequel won’t involve Ellen Ripley.  It will, however, continue the franchise’s tradition of having a female protagonist.
  • Lindelof’s screenplay places the project at a PG-13 rating, doesn’t add expensive set pieces, but remains “creatively engaging."
  • The plan is to film two prequels, both of which will be shot in 3D.
  • The action takes place thirty years prior to the events of the first Alien movie.
  • Scott says the film is about “the discussion of terraforming — taking planets and planetoids and balls of earth and trying to terraform, seed them with the possibilities of future life.”
  • The prequels will elaborate on how “The Space Jockey” fits into the world of Alien.